The Botanical Garden of the V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University is a nationally significant natural reserve in Kharkiv. It was founded simultaneously with Kharkiv University in 1804, making it the oldest botanical garden in Ukraine.

The total area of ​​the botanical garden is 41.9 hectares. The “old site,” located at Klochkivska St, 52 (shown in these photos), covers 5.5 hectares; the new site, on the slope of Sarzhyn Yar (Otakara Yarosha St, 24), covers 36.4 hectares.

The collection includes over 7,000 species of local and global flora. Admission to the Kharkiv Botanical Garden is free. However, visiting is strictly limited to hours from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Photos by: Olena Ilchenko.

vivid colors of autumn in Kharkiv

Tags: Kharkov city

Today, Pripyat is an abandoned city located in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, 3 km northwest of the closed Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, about 110 km north of Kyiv in a straight line. Immediately after the accident, radiation levels in the Chernobyl zone and Pripyat were very high.

However, 39 years ago, it was a rapidly growing city with a population of about 47,500 people. Pripyat on Google Maps. Photos: pripyat-city.ru

Pripyat, not yet abandoned

Tags: Kiev oblast · Pripyat city

Khmilnyk is a resort town (a balneological resort, one of the radon resorts in Ukraine) with a population of about 27 thousand people located in the north-west of Vinnytsia Oblast, about 63 km from Vinnytsia.

The most interesting architectural monument of this town is the Palace of Count Konstantin Ksido (1911-1915), built by the architect Ivan Fomin on the foundations of a 16th-century Lithuanian castle. Khmilnyk on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

very unusual palace

Tags: Vinnitsa oblast

Ostroh, first mentioned in 1100, is a town with a population of about 14 thousand people located in the south of Rivne Oblast. The main attraction of this town is its old castle located on the top of a 20-meter hill above the valley of the Viliy River. It was built on the site of a wooden fortification destroyed by the Mongols in 1241.

In the 14th-16th centuries, it was the residence of the House of Ostrogski – one of the most prominent families in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Ostroh Castle on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

fly over the Ostroh Castle

Tags: fortress · Rivne oblast

Lutsk Upper Castle also known as Lubart’s Castle is one of the largest, oldest and best-preserved castles in Ukraine, a monument of architecture and history of national importance.

It is the main object of the historical and cultural reserve “Old Lutsk”, it is the oldest building in Lutsk. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

beautiful Medieval castle

Tags: fortress · Lutsk city · Volyn oblast

Vynohradiv (until 1946 – Sevlush) is a small town with a population of about 25,000 people located in the southern part of Zakarpattia Oblast, about 94 km southeast of Uzhhorod. The distance to the border with Hungary is 16 km, Romania – 10 km, Slovakia – 80 km, Poland – 110 km. Vynohradiv is one of the oldest settlements in Transcarpathia. There was a Slavic settlement here already in the 9th century AD. Photos by: neo7777vitaha.

The monument to the winemaker in Vynohradiv. It was installed in the central square of the town, not far from the complex of buildings of the Franciscan monastery, in 2011. According to one legend, it was the Franciscans who were the first in the region to master winemaking. The monument depicts a man dressed in national Hungarian clothing and working at a wine press.

walk the streets of Vynohradiv

Tags: Zakarpattia oblast

Berehove is a town with a population of about 23,300 people located in the south-west of Zakarpattia Oblast of Ukraine, about 69 km from Uzhhorod by road, near the border with Hungary.

This town is the main center of Hungarian culture in Ukraine, the Hungarians make up about half of the town’s population (48.1% in 2001). That’s why besides the Ukrainian, the Hungarian language is common here and has the official status of a regional language. Berehove on Google Maps. Photos by: neo7777vitaha.

take a walk around Berehove

Tags: Uzhgorod city · Zakarpattia oblast

Lviv, the largest city in Western Ukraine, is a beloved tourist destination. With its rich history, vibrant culture, and welcoming atmosphere, it has something for everyone. Being a witness to various epochs, Lviv offers a unique blend of diverse influences, making it a must-visit for any traveler.

Unlike many typical big cities, this one doesn’t have real money`s best casinos and bustling nightlife. In Lviv, you will find delicious coffee and chocolate, ancient architecture filled with stories, and kind people.

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Tags: Lviv city

Let’s walk through the main streets of Kyiv and see how they looked in 1985. After the Second World War, Kyiv became the third largest city in the Soviet Union after Moscow and Leningrad, the capital of the second largest Soviet republic.

The photos were taken one year before the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which caused a significant deterioration in the environmental situation in the city, and 6 years before Kyiv became the capital of an independent Ukraine. Source

back to the past of Ukraine

Tags: Kiev city

Odesa, a large Ukrainian city on the Black Sea coast, is often called “The Pearl of the South”. But it is known not only for its beautiful architecture. Odesa has an incredible system of catacombs stretching even beyond the city limits.

Most of the catacombs are former quarries, in which shell stone was mined for the construction of Odessa. Mining was done chaotically and as a result a huge underground maze appeared.

underground Odesa

Tags: abandoned · Odessa city